"i'll get ya to the Surface,” Sans says, “don't worry. no matter what it takes, sweetheart, i'm getting you to the Surface.” 

Frisk wants to tell him not to make promises he can't keep, but they can't talk anymore. 

King Asgore might have been a good king once. No, Sans knows that King Asgore was a good king once. But desperation and loss can do things to a man. The kingdom was losing hope, and with the death of both of the King’s children followed by his wife's leave due to her grief, he has hardened and now looks at everything as mere things that can be expended if they reach his goal. 

Sans knows. Because once upon a time, he cared for his brother, although Papyrus always was a little ambitious. Once upon a time, Sans held out hope for getting to the surface, and nobody hurt each other. Once upon a time, he didn't resort to so much violence. Then once upon a time, Chara and Asriel died, and Queen Toriel left, and everyone thought, ‘this is it, we are stuck here forever unless we take seven human souls and blast our way out of here. We are doomed.’

Everyone learned that sometimes murder got them what they needed. Once upon a time, time started resetting so much that Sans didn't care anymore how many times he needed to kill monsters and human children. He just needed to kill. And eventually, he just decided not to anymore because no matter how much he did kill, everything would be reset again. 

Then once upon another time, a human with a red soul that sang Determination fell and was kind. Once upon another time, Prince Asriel Dreemurr's soul was put into a flower by the royal scientist, and said prince was currently perched on his shoulder. Once upon another time, Sans remembers exactly what being happy feels like and wants to fight for it. 

Flowey knows how to reset and reload back when he still has that ability. Somehow, that was transferred to Frisk's soul when they fell, and Flowey feels guilty for being relieved. The power to play god was too tempting for the flower to resist experimenting with once upon a time. Since he had no soul, he couldn’t feel the suffering he caused the other monsters, so Flowey reset. And reset. And reset, abusing his power until one day he got bored with that too and let it be.

And then a human falls. A human with a soul as red as Chara's. A human who looks like Chara. A human who is kind and determined like Chara. 

So he goes with them. He helps them. He is a traitor but loyal to his best friend and sibling, whom he promised would find a way to get all the monsters to the Surface. He promised Chara. He will not go back on his promise when reminded by Frisk's presence of Chara at every moment. 

Sometimes he dies in the middle of battle, hoping to hell Frisk and Sans get out, but that never happens because they always reload with a new flower on Frisk, but Flowey holds on. 

He sits on Sans' shoulder, listening to his father explain why they should do this and why the humans deserved to be punished, and think that no, this isn't what King Asgore would do. Not the father Asriel once knew, but the enemy Flowey would face. 

He defends Sans and Frisk for as long as he can, no matter if Frisk can no longer stand with all the flowers clinging to them. 

Frisk can't stand now. But they plead still. “Don't hurt him. Don't kill him. Spare him.”

Asgore looks at them strangely, and Sans says nothing as he defends. When a fireball gets too close to Frisk, that’s when he starts to attack. Frisk can't see anyway. He won't kill the king. He'll just weaken him until he can't fight anymore. 

Stupid child. Stupid human child for believing in kindness and managing to worm their way into his ribcage. Stupid him for wanting this kid as a friend. Stupid fucking circumstances that made everything like this. 

In another life, where everyone hadn't lost hope, they all could have been friends maybe. And this entire mess wouldn't be necessary. And sure, they wouldn't be out of the Underground quick, but it would be happy and peaceful. 

Flowey stills on his shoulder for a moment before whispering that he has an idea and then sinks into the floor, roots breaking the cement before he disappears and leaves Sans to fight alone. The skeleton curses, but whatever that damn flower had planned, it was probably worth it. He wouldn't leave Frisk like that. 

Frisk is sitting behind him. Hands-on the ground. Still praying that nobody got hurt. Can't see. Can't move. Can barely talk, even. Goddamn, kid. 

Sans strikes one blow before Asgore is down on one knee, weak from the fight. 

"Well?” the king asks, huffing, “Do it." 

Sans still has his bones behind him, and he's still able to call his Blasters to finish Asgore off. It would be so easy—one blast. One blast, and he could kill the king and take Frisk out of here and out into the Surface. 

He lifts one hand. 

And then drops it. 

He turns back to the human behind him, picks them up into his arms, and faces the king again. 

“no." 

Asgore looks up and frowns, “No?” 

Frisk moves in his arms and leans their head into his chest. They're signing something rapidly, hands making jittery movements that Sans can barely register, but he catches a Thank you in the midst of that.

“always be kind. sometimes kindness is all we can give,” Sans says, “sometimes kindness is enough." 

Asgore laughs, “That's not how it works around here, boy. It's kill or be killed.” 

Sans shakes his head and pulls Frisk closer. 

“not anymore." 

He walks past Asgore, tense, but the king lets him to his surprise. He makes no move to stand and just keeps his head low. Sans begins to make his way to the barrier as he thinks how best to break it. 

He needs seven human souls to cross the barrier. Or one monster soul and one human soul. 

Whoever gets that gets to cross the barrier. He looks at the feverish human in his arms as they reach the corridor heading towards the Barrier.

“'ey, sweetheart,” he smiles as he looks at them. They're trying to press closer to him. It's almost amusing. “ya still holdin' on good?” 

Frisk nods slowly. 

The cement in front of him breaks, and Flowey emerges. He's got his vines wrapped into a ball and is panting, but he looks at Sans and then pulls his vines back to reveal six floating orbs of different colors. 

Sans' breath hitches.

No, not orbs. Souls. The six human souls. 

“We can...can cross the barrier,” Flowey coughs, “Or at least take one of the souls. Cross the barrier, take one more, come back, take the rest and then break the barrier.” He's shaking badly, “I don't know, just get Frisk out of here or something." 

It's a good plan. Take one soul, get another from Surface, and then go back to complete the job and free Frisk and monsterkind. 

"No," Frisk rasps and grabs Sans' sweater. 

"Frisk!” Flowey yells, “We need seven human souls to break the barrier; we only have six.” 

Frisk shakes their head rapidly and clenches their teeth. Painful to move, even. Seven, they sign, Have seven. 

“No, we...” Flowey pauses and stares at the human, "...don't.” 

Frisk points to themselves and signs. We can use mine. She signs.

Sans nearly drops them. “No!! Nuh-uh!!! No fucking way!! I’m not doing it!!!”

Flowey stares at them, disbelieving, and Sans tightens their grip on them, "Are you fucking stupid? You can't just give up - not after all that we– ” 

"Not...not giving up," Frisk croaks, "Can't go back to Surface anymore. Nearly covered in flowers. Hah," they laugh weakly, “Dying. Slowly." 

"Don't say that. Once we’re on the surface, we’ll find a way to get rid of these damn things, maybe… maybe they’ll fall off on their own once you’re back there!" Sans pleads desperately.

Frisk chuckles, "Y…You don’t know…that. One last thing. Hope of humans and monsters. Have to do it. Take my soul,” they smile weakly, “Free everyone." 

“Frisk, no,” Flowey sobs. 

Sans watches two drops of water land on Frisk's cheek before he realizes he's crying too. Stubbornly, he only holds onto her tighter and begins speed-walking toward the barrier. “ya can give up all ya want when i'm dead.  'm not gonna let you die, frisk! I’m NOT going to use your SOUL!!”

"Won't last long," Frisk says, “Please." They clutch Sans' sweater tighter, “Please.” They could feel their SOUL breaking…

The red soul flickers in front of them, and Flowey starts crying. Frisk's chest is still moving, up and down, but it's getting slower. Sans looks at them as the red soul floats near his face. “Get that away from me….” He growls in warning, walking faster.

Frisk whispers something, but he can't hear it. Mostly because he’s too focused on trying to hurry to the Barrier so he can figure a way to get her out of there, but now he feels her getting cold, and he’s now standing right in front of the Barrier before he finally glances down.

Her chest wasn’t moving.